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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. hand — in cards
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. swing — to play on
  11. fork — in a road
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. swing — in golf
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. cue — a hint
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. cue — for pool
  19. bat — the animal
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. swing — music
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. hand — help

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com